More than 100 bipartisan lawmakers sent a bicameral letter May 7 urging President Donald Trump to demand Chinese leader Xi Jinping release Hong Kong media tycoon and Catholic Jimmy Lai when the two leaders meet later this month.
The letter, led by Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey and Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, urged Trump to seek Lai’s humanitarian release, citing the 78-year-old’s declining health and his 20-year prison sentence under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. Lai’s family has said the imprisonment amounts to a death sentence because of his age and failing health.
On May 4, Trump said he would raise Lai’s case during his May 14-15 summit with Xi.
As Zeale News previously reported, Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy, independent newspaper Apple Daily, has been imprisoned since 2020. In February, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges widely condemned by human rights advocates as politically motivated.
“Given Jimmy Lai’s advanced age and ailing health, we urge President Trump — a tenacious, vocal advocate for Jimmy’s freedom — to again raise Jimmy’s case and call for his humanitarian release during his upcoming meeting with General Secretary Xi Jinping,” Smith said in a press release accompanying the letter.
Trump said in December 2025 that he had asked Xi to consider freeing Lai, but two months later, Lai received his prison sentence.
The letter highlighted Lai’s deteriorating condition in custody, noting that because of Lai’s age and health, his imprisonment “amounts to spending the rest of his life behind bars. His health has declined in custody, and prolonged isolation and inadequate prison conditions only increase the risk of permanent harm.”
They said Lai’s release would be “a clear, practical path forward that reunites a family and prevents this case from becoming an irreversible tragedy — and an enduring symbol of repression that will echo far beyond Hong Kong.”
The letter drew support from prominent figures in both parties. Signatories include Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
The lawmakers concluded by telling Trump, “Your direct engagement is critical to securing Mr. Lai’s immediate release on humanitarian parole, so he can receive appropriate medical care and reunite with his family.”